Skip to main content

Shooting Fish In A Barrel

 

Shooting Fish In A Barrel

Watch this on YouTube here - Fishy Idioms - YouTube Video

Meaning:

When a simple task needs to be done and there is guaranteed success in the task. A simple activity.

Example Sentence:

"The size of my apartment is relatively small, so keeping it nice and tidy is like shooting fish in a barrel."

Origin:

    The earliest instance found of this phrase was in a column called By the By! on February 11th, 1902. The column tells a story about 2 men - a high-end tea taster and a man drinking alcohol. the tea tester says that the man drinking alcohol can't tell what he is drinking after only 2 drinks. The drunk man replies "Oh yes I can, and what more I can tell you the brand of alcohol with certainty."  The tea tester takes the bet. After the drinking test was over the drunk man won. He was asked, "How on Earth did you do it?" He replied, "Just as simple as shooting fish in a barrel."
    This saying originates from before modern technology, fish could not be refrigerated so they were packed in barrels for preservation with very little water, any shot fired in the barrel was sure to hit a fish.


Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Break A Leg

Break A Leg    Watch this on YouTube here - Luck Video - YouTube Video Meaning: Break A Leg is an encouragement to actors before they go on stage or in front of an audience as a way of saying good luck.  “Ooh, break a leg out there.” Origin: Theatre actors are well known for their belief in superstitions, one of them is, - do not to utter the words 'good luck' to an actor. - Instead, by wishing someone bad luck, it is supposed to be that the opposite will occur. The term 'break a leg' appears to come from that belief. Before break a leg became a theatrical way of wishing someone good luck is was used to mean - make a strenuous effort- with many old records. Like “break a leg trying” The earliest record of Break a leg in a theatrical way was in 1948 from a US newspaper The Charleston Gazette, in the 'Ask The Gazette' column, the question asked was: Q. What are some of the well-known superstitions of the theatre? A. Superstitions of the stage are numerous, and man...
Post a Comment
Read more

As Snug as a Bug in a Rug

  As Snug As A Bug In A Rug Watch this on YouTube here - Staying In - YouTube Video Meaning: As snug as a bug in a rug means to be very comfortable and cozy. Example Sentence:   “Aww, look at her cuddled up, as snug as a bug in a rug.” Origin: This phrase has been around for a while. The original writing of it was in 1769, in David Garrick's celebration of Shakespeare Garrick's vagary, or, England run mad; with particulars of the Stratford Jubilee. It reads: "If she has the mopus's, I'll have her, as snug as a bug in a rug."     ( Mopus  being a slang word for "money," naturally.)   As snug as a bug in a rug started out with a much different meaning than it has today. The word “snug” was a nautical term; it was first used as an adjective in the 16th century to describe the trim, neat, compact design of a ship. Shortly after that, snug started to be used as a verb and meant “to lie close" (as in "snugging up/together for warmth or ...
Post a Comment
Read more